Irony
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 12:52 PM |
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Diesel engine in a kit car
If I bought a second hand kit car and stripped it back to the chassis. What would be my best option engine wise for amazing fuel economy? I would be
looking for a kitcar that might be a daily driver so therefor reasonably practical, i.e a roof and weather tight.
Diesel? Small petrol? What kit car? Just plain not worth it.
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Yazza54
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 12:55 PM |
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Nothing wrong with a 1.6/1.8/2.0 modern injection 4pot. Kit cars are generally a lot lighter than the doner car so even a bigger engine can be
economical because you're not having to labour it so much.
I'm unhappy cos I eat and I eat cos I'm unhappy
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MK9R
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:02 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Irony
If I bought a second hand kit car and stripped it back to the chassis. What would be my best option engine wise for amazing fuel economy? I would be
looking for a kitcar that might be a daily driver so therefor reasonably practical, i.e a roof and weather tight.
Diesel? Small petrol? What kit car? Just plain not worth it.
how about a GTM rossa with hard top? Selling mine in the spring with full MOT (when convertible prices go up), or you can buy now with no MOT for a
god price
Cheers Austen
RGB car number 9
www.austengreenway.co.uk
www.automatedtechnologygroup.co.uk
www.trackace.co.uk
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Irony
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:12 PM |
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quote:
how about a GTM rossa with hard top? Selling mine in the spring with full MOT (when convertible prices go up), or you can buy now with no MOT for a
god price
Sorry I am not looking to actually do it but I was just thinking about it. I have to get my current project finished before I start a new one.
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loggyboy
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:29 PM |
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Seems like a pointless exercise to me.
If you want a practical car, to be good on fuel etc you buy a production hatch or similar.
If you want a performance/fun car you buy/build a kit.
People regularly modify the production cars so you can retain some of the practicality but gain some performance fun. Tht makes sense because its
fairly easy to increase performance.
But taking a fun kit car, then making it more econmic (and therfore less fun no doubt), and then trying to make a naturally impractical car, its
obvisousy going to be alot harder to make it practical. Seems like your compromising the wrong way.
[Edited on 20/1/11 by loggyboy]
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Irony
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:32 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
Seems like a pointless exercise to me.
If you want a practical car, to be good on fuel etc you buy a production hatch or similar.
If you want a performance/fun car you buy/build a kit.
People regularly modify the production cars so you can retain some of the practicality but gain some performance fun.
But taking a fun kit car, then making it more econmic (and therfore less fun no doubt), and then trying to make a naturally impractical car, practical
seems like your compromising the wrong things.
Perhaps but in todays literally soaring fuel prices I was wondering what sort economy could be available with a modern diesel in a lightweight
chassis.
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blakep82
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:37 PM |
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well dinosarjuice off here is putting a diesel in his car. can't remember any recent updates, but he's doing it.
always wondered if vauxhall diesels share the same gearbox pattern as the petrols... 
________________________
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Benzine
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:39 PM |
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I'd like to put something like a daihatsu 3 pot or one of the new Volvo 1.6 diesel engines in a reliant kitten, lightweight, RWD etc.
The mental gymnastics a landlord will employ to justify immoral actions is clinically fascinating. Just because something is legal doesn't make
it moral.
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loggyboy
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:40 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Irony
Perhaps but in todays literally soaring fuel prices I was wondering what sort economy could be available with a modern diesel in a lightweight
chassis.
But to make the most of the diesel advantage you would need to do lots of miles, and doing lots of miles means you really want a year round car, hence
you wish to add practiclity to the car, which would be harder.
If you want a fun practical car then buy a warm/hot hatch? or buy a realyl frugal diesel car thats not fun (VW bluemotion, Volvo DRIVe etc) and then
get a regular kit for the weekends?
Seems more logical to me?
Not that logic has ever stopped anyone doing things their own way when it comes to kits and cars in general!
I have a DRIVe C30, thats quite good, 45-55mpg depending on how I drive (albeit no where near the 75mpg they promise! no matter how hard I tried) and
£30 road tax. However if you took away the A/C, heated seats, stereo etc etc it would be an attocious car to live with! BOR-OR-RING!
Diesels have torque, lots of it, which when you have no/little weight, you dont need!, (as Bikes have proven).
[Edited on 20/1/11 by loggyboy]
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jossey
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:44 PM |
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diesel
get the 1.6 diesel engine out of a focus.
my mate who builds rally cars bought one and stripped it out with just 1 seat and dash out etc.
lightened springs etc
it did over 80 mpg till the engine got ripped out and sold on ebay....
good luck irony on ye eco build.
dave
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Surrey Dave
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:45 PM |
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Torque
I would have thought with the torque available in modern turbo diesels would be very impressive in a car the weight of a Locost, might even be too
much for an Escort diff. But it's an idea that appeals to me.
Diesels seem to do OK at Le Mans.
Citroen 1.4 turbo Diesel, what do you do for a gearbox though!
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blakep82
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:47 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Benzine
I'd like to put something like a daihatsu 3 pot or one of the new Volvo 1.6 diesel engines in a reliant kitten, lightweight, RWD etc.
or in the amazon well, the 1.6, not the daihatsu one
________________________
IVA manual link http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1081997083
don't write OT on a new thread title, you're creating the topic, everything you write is very much ON topic!
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wilkingj
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:49 PM |
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Or even a 2.2 Mondeo Diesel 155BHP as std, and 180+ with a tuning box, 50mpg average as well draging the mondy body about.
or even the 2.0 diesel 130bhp and 50+mpg more with a tuning box.
Downside is all the electrinics.
Goes very well indeed!.
My favourite for a kit car would be a Perkins Prima, simple and turbo'd goes fairly well and will give 55mpg on a run.
A great little engine. Probably some in your local scrappy.
1. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
2. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Best Regards
Geoff
http://www.v8viento.co.uk
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mcerd1
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:54 PM |
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^^ how's about a half way solution, a production car thats practicaly a kit 
Reliant Scimitar with any diesel lump you can make fit - PPC had one a while back with a BWM 2.5 TD (out of an omega)
Scimitars only weigh ~1ton and thats with an essex V6
also you can get a pre 73 one (SE4 / SE5) so free road tax 
-
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 01:56 PM |
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Lightness is good, but you also need decent aerodynamics for good economy, and many kit cars fail dismally in this respect (any kind of Lotus 7/Ariel
Atom clone will be poor).
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alistairolsen
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 02:26 PM |
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vauxhall 1.3 cdti with a chip, 100bhp ish
My Build Thread
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CNHSS1
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 02:58 PM |
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whilst im a fan of diseasels in dailys/rep mobiles, the few OEM diesel converstibles ive been in (merc, BMW etc) you can hear the diesel racket from
the engine which is all but hidden with a proper roof and you get the stink! Ok when you are going fast enough to outrun your own chuff cloud, but
town driving and gassing off on long descents does make it smell like youve got ya head under the bonnet of an 80s transit--Yuk...
its its in a roofed kit car, then it can almost be excused, but might need a fair bit of dynamat on teh bulkheads and floors to stop it sounding like
a dozen bolts in a bucket
"Racing is life, everything else, before or after, is just waiting"---Steve McQueen
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Irony
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 03:21 PM |
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I agree with the noise problem. I have a Golf GT TDI 150 and is does go like stink. A mate of mine with the same car put a stainless steel exhaust
on his and it literally sounded awful. Like a angry tractor that needed a tuneup.
However if you've been to Le Mans 24 then the petrols make your ear drums rattle whilst the diesel are quiet.
What diesel engines could be converted to rear wheel drive and with what box? I know that BMW 320d are rear wheel drive but they are quite big
engines?
[Edited on 20/1/11 by Irony]
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dinosaurjuice
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 04:14 PM |
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Been driving my diesel mev rocket for 2 years now. its ace.
its no traditional sports car by far. but that just adds character. i dont get great fuel economy, rarely average more than 50mpg, but thats cos i
dont drive it economically. did achieve 90mpg coming bak from newark last year doing steady 70 and that was still having a bit of fun overtaking.
engine is the 2.0 PSA hdi unit from a ford focus c-max. 136hp and 340nm in standard trim.
only down side is ECUs, all common rail engines are stupidly complicated. i was on the verge of a nervous breakdown getting my c-max ecu to work. one
of the few kit cars with a fly-by-wire CAN network controlled engine i believe.
oh yeah, diesels are very tall engines too. one of the reasons i chose the mev, that and been able to use the c-max gearbox.
will
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MK9R
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 04:22 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by dinosaurjuice
Been driving my diesel mev rocket for 2 years now. its ace.
its no traditional sports car by far. but that just adds character. i dont get great fuel economy, rarely average more than 50mpg, but thats cos i
dont drive it economically. did achieve 90mpg coming bak from newark last year doing steady 70 and that was still having a bit of fun overtaking.
engine is the 2.0 PSA hdi unit from a ford focus c-max. 136hp and 340nm in standard trim.
only down side is ECUs, all common rail engines are stupidly complicated. i was on the verge of a nervous breakdown getting my c-max ecu to work. one
of the few kit cars with a fly-by-wire CAN network controlled engine i believe.
oh yeah, diesels are very tall engines too. one of the reasons i chose the mev, that and been able to use the c-max gearbox.
will
hey, i rather like that!!
Cheers Austen
RGB car number 9
www.austengreenway.co.uk
www.automatedtechnologygroup.co.uk
www.trackace.co.uk
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matt_gsxr
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 05:03 PM |
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I remember reading the the VAG 1.9Tdi engine didn't need too many wires. I'd worry about the noise though as even in lightweight tin-tops
it can be a bit offensive.
"weasel build" in PPC
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Irony
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 05:16 PM |
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The MEV looks sweet!
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dinosaurjuice
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 05:50 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by matt_gsxr
I remember reading the the VAG 1.9Tdi engine didn't need too many wires. I'd worry about the noise though as even in lightweight tin-tops
it can be a bit offensive.
"weasel build" in PPC
the VW tdi is a fantastic engine. however, its simplicity has drawbacks. they are very noisy at idle and have nothing on the refinement and
driveability of the offerings from common rail engines. shame, as like you said there a doddle to wire up and are good for big power.
couple more pics:
[img] [/img]
[Edited on 20/1/11 by dinosaurjuice]
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Ninehigh
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| posted on 20/1/11 at 08:23 PM |
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Don't see why not, my Mondeo's got the 105hp flavour and that goes quick enough, in a much lighter car it would be sweet.
Also nothing wrong with getting an extra 30-40mpg for the same speed!
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Simon
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| posted on 21/1/11 at 12:08 AM |
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Perhaps now is the the time for Dave Walker and co to start making aftermarket ecus for diesels
ATB
Simon
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